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Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:

Somerset

District:

Mendip (District Authority)

Parish:

Rodney Stoke

National Grid Reference:

ST 50252 51353

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

The two bowl barrows 640m south of Bristol Plain Farm survive comparatively
well and, despite areas of localised disturbance possibly caused by previous
excavation, contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating both
to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.
As well as being associated with other bowl barrows in the round barrow
cemetery, numerous other burial monuments of the same date also survive in the
area. Such evidence gives an indication of the intensity of occupation and
the nature of social organisation present in the area during the Bronze Age
period.

Details

The monument includes a pair of bowl barrows located on a slight rise 640m
south of Bristol Plain Farm. The northern barrow [ST50235136] is visible
as a barrow mound 19m in diameter and c.1m high at its highest point. A
slight central depression may be the result of a previous excavation. The
southern barrow [ST50265134] is visible as a barrow mound 20m in diameter
and c.1.5m high at its highest point. A slight central depression may be the
result of a previous partial excavation although no details are known. A
hollow on the south east side may have been caused by stone quarrying.
Although no longer visible at ground level a ditch from which material was
quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds each barrow mound.
These have become infilled over the years but survive as buried features c.3m
wide.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

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